The 48th Hunger Games: Legend
by yamamoto yohji
Summary: The stage is set the lights are dimmed the show is about to begin. Atticus Gekko has finally fulfilled his dream of creating the perfect arena to display the perfect game to the residents of Panem. This year, Atticus will solidify his legacy as the greatest Gamemaker ever. He will become a legend. SYOT OPEN. Submit your tribute and enjoy the ride.
1. Intro

**Head Gamemaker Atticus Gekko's Pov**

I take another drag from my cigarette and lean back in my chair. My eyes dart to every corner of the huge screen opposite me. Everything I am is laid out in front of me in the form of the perfect arena. An arena I have spent my entire life envisioning and revising is finally complete. For the past year I have poured both my heart and my soul into this project and it has finally been realized. Mere words cannot express the euphoric feeling that courses throughout my body. A smile creeps onto my face. I had been up all night making minor final adjustments so everything could be just perfect. This is my first year as Head Gamemaker and there was no way in hell I would allow myself to screw it up. All of my hard work will soon pay off for The 48th Hunger Games are to commence within a week. This may seem trivial to some, but to me it is everything. My entire body tingled with excitement. I stood up from my desk and exited the control room. There were a few people here and there who still remained, for the life of me I could not name a single one of them, but the majority of the staff had made their way home hours ago. As my long strides transported me to my car I began to ponder what kind of tributes would be at my whim. I surely hope these lucky individuals know how to put on a show. The second a tribute ceases to entertain me or the capital, he or she would be subject to my wrath. And in these games, my word was God. Getting on my bad side was never a good idea. I began to laugh maniacally to myself. This year I shall become a legend...

* * *

_To submit a tribute head to my profile and fill out the form. Send in your form through PMs, no review submitted tribute will be accepted. Enjoy and may the odds be ever in your favour._


	2. District 1 Reapings

_**AN: Alright, here it is. District One's reapings. Hope i portrayed your characters appropriately and if there is anything i should change about them just tell me. Also i still need loads of tributes so spread the word, check out my profile, pm me, and give me some more kids to duke it out to the death.**_

* * *

**District One Reaping**

Holden Sarutobi 17 M

My eyes shot open for a second, then proceeded to immediately close. I mumbled something indecipherable to no one in particular and tossed around in my bed. I've got no idea what time it is, but it is obviously too early to wake up. Or at least that's what my body believes. As I begin to drift away into unconsciousness a thought pops into my mind. It's that time of the year again. The day twenty-three kids are whisked away to an early grave. Reaping day.

"Just great," I said groggily as I began wiping the crust out of my eyes. I stretched my arms out above my head and yawned. I glanced at the clock beside my bed, still had about three hours till we all had to line up to register for the Reapings. I listened intently for a moment for any sound resonating throughout the house. Nothing. I don't recall my older brother Soren returning home last night, he must have stayed over at Teru's place, his wife. That leaves my lazy fraternal twin brother Heathcliffe to wake up. I worry about him sometimes, when he's knocked out it's almost as if he was in a coma. Waking him up in the mornings is always a hassle, and today I don't have time to deal with it. I promised my girlfriend Hana I'd walk her to the town square. She always gets nervous during reaping day and its my duty to calm her down. I grab my bass guitar plug it into my transportable amp and head down the hall towards Heathcliffe's room. I begin knocking loudly on his door. After a couple of failed attempts of waking him the normal way, I crank up the amp to it's loudest volume and begin madly strumming away at it. The bass was a gift I received from Soren for my birthday last year. I haven't exactly gotten it down just yet but for being self taught I think it sounds pretty decent. It takes about a minute before Heathcliffe walks though the door with an annoyed look on his face.

He glares daggers at me and says, "Alright, alright, I'm up. Just stop before my ears start bleeding."

"C'mon it isn't that bad is it?" I ask while continuing to play as obnoxiously as possible. Heathcliffe walks over to the amp and unplugs the cord connected to my bass bringing an end to my fun.

"I call shower first while you make breakfast," He says to me grumpily as he begins stumbling his way towards our bathroom. He stubs his toe against the corner of the door and yelps in pain, I laugh at his expense. Ever since our parents left to live in the capital two years ago, I've been the one stuck on cooking duty. Soren would probably do a better job at it than me, but he's hardly ever home. As for Heathcliffe, well I'd rather not have a repeat of the last time he tried his hand at concocting an edible meal. We had been sick for weeks. Blech, I can still taste the vomit. I wonder how he'd be able to fare without me. If he was lucky, he would survive a week. Tops... Better get started on that meal.

We finish washing and eating up then head to our rooms to get dressed in our reaping clothes. They're nothing fancy, but they will do. Makes me sick knowing I have to get dressed up to watch two people taken away from there homes with a very slim chance of ever returning. Granted being a career district we have a fair amount of winners. Those of which are volunteers. How could anyone sign up for The Hunger Games? It's like signing your life away to the Devil. In this case the Capital. I can't really conceive how taking another kid's life would be fun. Yet year after year we have tons of volunteers lining up to become a murderer. Serves them right when they come back in a casket. You reap what you sow and if you volunteer for an event where you are forced to kill at least one person, society is probably better off with you being dead. That thought isn't entirely fair though. Not every volunteer is a deranged killer with a thirst for blood. Everyone has their reasons. I've got a bit of training under my belt. Does that make me a hypocrite? No way. I only train for the off chance that I get reaped and no one volunteers. Won't happen of course, there's always a volunteer. Or at least I hope so. If I were to be reaped, im not sure if I'd be able to win. I'm defiantly strong enough to pull it off, but killing isn't exactly something I'm properly prepared for. I'm all set now so I head for the door.

"Hey! I'm gonna go meet up with Hana, I'll see ya at the reapings, don't be late!" I shout to Heathcliffe as I open the door.

"Yeah, Yeah!" He replies. Good enough of a response I guess.

Takes about twenty minutes to reach Hana's house. Nothing eventful happened on the way there. Other than the whole reaping that would commence soon, it felt like an ordinary day. I knocked on her door and waited a couple minutes. I could hear footsteps walking down a wooden stairwell from inside. The door opened and a large burly man appeared before it. It was Hana's father.

"Hello Mr. Yakushi, is your daughter ready?" I asked as politely as I could. Hana's father disliked me for quite some time. He thinks I'm creepy for being into a girl a year younger than me. He is constantly trying to convince Hana I'm only with her because no other girl would take me. He's kind of a dick.

"She'll be down in a minute," He says angrily and walks off into his house grumbling something under his breath. Probably cursing me out for being me. I'm hoping I'll eventually grow on him. Don't want to put up with his sour attitude all my life. The way things are now, I can see myself marrying Hana one day. Life is rough even in one of the richer Districts like One. No telling how long you'll live and to find someone as great as Hana at such a young age is lucky. I really do love her. I guess I adopted the marry young thing from Soren. He's been married for a year and a half now and celebrated his twentieth birthday the other week. My thoughts are brought to a sudden conclusion as I see Hana's beautiful face approaching me. She looks lovely in her reaping dress. Shame I only see it once a year.

"Well you look nice," I compliment her as she reaches me.

"You say that every year," she says smiling a bit. It's not one of her usual bright smiles that send a shiver down my spine. There are bags under her eyes. She's been worrying about the Games again.

"And it's always true," I say smiling as I take her hand. She squeezes tightly. "Ready?" I ask. She nods in response and we slowly make our way to the town square. Not a single word is spoken on the way there. Hana is too busy trying to remain calm while I stay by her side for emotional support. The cool breeze rushes through my somewhat spiky black hair and the sun shines as bright as ever. The warmth coming from the sun and the hand of the girl I love feels quite nice. It's a shame it's short lived as we finally arrive to our destination and have to part ways to sign in and wait with the other kids our age.

"I'll see you soon, okay?" I ask her as I bring her in for a hug and plant a kiss on her forehead.

"Promise?" she asks with a hint of worry in her voice.

"Promise," I respond. Ending our embrace.

Casmiro Petviral 17 F

I've been awake for hours staring out my windowsill watching people as they scurry about frantically getting some last minute preparations done. From up here they all look like giant ants. I like ants. Maybe that's why I've been up here for so long. I feel as though I've forgotten something. The reason all these giant ants are in such a rush. Something to do with death. I think. What could it be? I wonder. Death... I don't like death. Reminds me that I lost my only friend in the world four years ago. Shirlaire hanged herself. I was the one to find her. I had come over to the Stark's house to hang out, her parents had given me a warm welcome and told me Shirlaire was in her room. I went up and there she was. So still, so lifeless. There was a note by her side. It was an apology for her parents and a message for me. Shirlaire's last wishes were for me to do what she could not. To stay strong, without her by my side. I've been suffering from depression for quite some time. I sometimes find myself fixated with death. The only thing keeping me from doing something stupid are Shirlaire's words. I owe her that much. I really do miss her.

"Hey Casmiro, you done yet!?" Shouted my brother Pollux from outside my door. Pollux has ADHD. I suffer from BPD myself. Our family is really messed up.

"Done with what?" I ask hoping to find the answer to what I forgot.

"Getting dressed for the reapings of course, come on Casi even I remembered that," He replied proudly for his accomplishment. Ohh, reapings. That would explain the dress sprawled out across my bed.

"Uhh, just a minute!" I shout back as I grabbed the dress and began clothing myself. That's when I noticed I had been naked this entire time. I sure hope none of the ants saw something they shouldn't have.

Before I know it Pollux and I are at the town square signing in. I zoned out a bit there. Hope nothing exciting happened while I was unfocused. My parents are both Peacekeepers so they are out somewhere doing what they do best. Keeping the peace. Both Pollux and Leylam want to be Peacekeepers when they're older. Leylam is my older brother. He doesn't have any disorder other than the fact that he's a bit full of himself. He's already gone through his reaping days so he stands off on the side waiting for today's event to unfold. Wish I was that lucky. I don't want to be apart of this system anymore. I have little to no training as a career. Sure I can run a bit and fight with my bare hands, but when it comes to using a weapon I'm completely hopeless. Took me about a minute after holding a sword for the first time for me to get myself cut. That's when I discovered I liked the sensation blood leaving my body left me. I began to cut myself. There was something mesmerizing about it flowing down my arm. My parents didn't share my interest. They put me in a psyche ward for a while where I had constant surveillance and lived in a padded room. It was fun to bounce around in there without getting hurt. I had to leave though, it cost a lot of money for my parents to keep me there. It wasn't fair for them. I stopped hurting myself for their sakes.

It's at this point I notice I missed our escort's recapping the Dark Days and the rebellion and the reason these games are held. Our District escort Euphie is a rather large woman with the oddest hair I have ever seen. For starters it's dyed lime green to match the color of her altered skin. Second it's two huge drill like objects sprouting out to either side of her head. Capital fashion is seriously scary. She is accompanied by this year's mentors Deadric Manning who won twelve years ago, and Lisbeth Michaelis who won two years ago. I remember her games. She was a volunteer at the age of sixteen. She tricked the careers into killing their leader so she could claim the role. She then went on to backstab each and every one of them as the games progressed and the number of tributes dwindled. She's only a year older than me but she looks much more mature. She kind of scares me. Aghh! I spaced out again. Euphie is already digging around in the male reaping bowl.

"I know the anticipation is killing me but what about you District One?" Euphie asks with a stupid grin smacked across her face. She rummages through the pool of names for a while before pulling out a strip. She stares at it and smiles brightly at the audience. As weird as she looks, I have to say she has a nice smile. A stupid nice smile? A nice stupid smile?

"And our lucky male tribute is," she pauses for dramatic effect. "Heathcliffe Sarutobi!" she finally exclaims. "Ohh such an unique name!" Euphie adds as she peels her eyes away from the sheet of paper and looks at the male section expectantly. The boy emerges from the seventeen year old section and a shrill shriek can be heard coming from a girl somewhere behind me. The boy takes a couple of steps towards the stage before he is interrupted by another sudden outburst.

"I volunteer!?" Another boy from the same section as Heathcliffe exclaims. He doesn't seem so sure of himself. It came out more like a question than a statement. I get a good look at him as he passes the former tribute. They bare a striking resemblance to each other. There is a look of absolute terror on Heathcliffe's face while the volunteer gives him a fake smile and nods. He then proceeds to trudge onto the stage. He is greeted cheerily by Euphie as she shakes his hand while giggling to herself.

"And what might your name be?" she asks the volunteer boy.

"Holden Sarutobi." he replies solemnly. Ohh! That explains it. They must be brothers. How noble of him. I wonder if his action has actually sunk in yet. Is this really what he wanted to do or was it just a spur of the moment kind of thing. He looks the part of a District One career. Well I wish him luck. Would be a shame for such a nice person to die. I really like his hair too. I wonder what shampoo he uses. Euphie begins to head towards the female raffle bowl.

"Time to see who will represent the ladies of District One." Euphie states cutting off my train of thought. This time her hand is only in there for a moment. She grabbed the sheet that was at the very bottom of the bowl. She pulls out the sheet and reads the name to all of Panem. Insert imaginary drum roll here. Ohh yeah that's good. "Casmiro Petviral!" Euphie concludes. I begin to look around for the unfortunate girl. Nobody steps forward. Cowardice won't bring in sponsors, she better get her act together before it's too late. I notice everyone is staring in my general direction. As I begin to wonder why a couple of Peacekeepers begin to march towards me. What are they doing? They finally reach me and grab my arms and begin dragging me towards the stage.

"Stop! What are you doing!" I yell as I start flailing about in their arms. I elbow one of the Peacekeepers in the ribs and he falls back groveling in pain. The other one twists my arm behind my back. "No!" I yell in protest as I swing my head backwards making contact with his face. It hurt like hell but his grip loosened. Why are they doing this? Wait a second. Was I was reaped? Ohh my gosh. I had no idea. It's a bit late to return to normal and pull the confident tribute act. From the corner of my eye I can see several other Peacekeepers bounding in on me. Maybe I can salvage the situation. I'll keep on fighting to display to the Capital that I'm a force to be reckoned with. I'll just have to take out as many Peacekeepers as possible. I bring my fists in front of my face readying myself for a fight. I can do this, I studied a bunch of different fist fighting techniques. The diagrams in the books were always so flashy and fun to look at. I charge forward at the first unlucky individual and thrust both my palms into his chest effectively knocking all the air out of him. I then follow up by positioning my leg behind his and shoving him forward onto the ground. As I swing around getting ready for my next target I feel a sharp pain in my arm. I crank my head in the general direction of the stinging and I can make out..

Holden Sarutobi 17 M

Casmiro falls face first into the dirt with an empty syringe protruding from her left arm. A rather large Peacekeeper walks over to her unconscious body, slings her over his shoulder, and begins to carry her to the Justice building. There is a bunch of murmuring throughout the crowd undoubtedly about the spectacle all of Panem had just observed. I was going into the arena with a psycho. Had she not over-reacted she probably would of had a volunteer step in and take her place. I feel ashamed of the fact that I can relate to that. In hindsight, had I waited a moment longer before volunteering for Heathcliffe, some eager Career would have taken my place and my brother would have been just fine. I can't believe I'm so stupid. No time to regret my decision though, what's done is done. Now all I have to do is figure out how I'm going to make it out of this alive. Never thought I'd be apart of these stupid Games.

"Uhh, well there you have it District One. Your tributes this year are Holden Sarutobi and Casmiro Petviral!" Euphie exclaims to the crowd trying to regain control of the situation. The observers are either far too amused or confused to respond appropriately. There are only a handful of cheers. Next thing I know I'm being escorted to the Justice building to await visitors. I can feel my legs giving way from beneath me. I just have to tough it out a couple more metres before the cameras are off me and I can collapse. I hate to admit it, but im scared out of my mind. I've officially signed my soul off to the Devil. And on top of that, I may have broken a promise I made to Hana. I wonder how she's taking this. I walk into my prison for the next hour and stand at the dead centre of the room for a while. I can't break out into tears just yet, I need to stay strong for Hana. I need to reassure her that I'll be back, that I'm not leaving her alone. I mean, it's not like I'm dead yet. Im practically a career, I can pull through this. I will pull through this. I keep repeating that over and over in my head. I don't entirely believe these words but hopefully if I repeat them enough times, I can make them reality.


	3. District 10 Reapings

**_AN: A wild procrastinator appears. Tell me what you think about these two and my writing in general. I still have a long ways to go, sorry for the infrequent updates the story will go on... Eventually_**

* * *

District 10 Reaping

Wesley Leitch 15

"Okay, look here. I completely understand where you're coming from and I respect your opinion. But the fact of the matter is you are wasting my time and I am starting to get pissed off. Normally I wouldn't care, but today I've got places to be and some last minute preparations to do. I need you to stop being so stubborn and get in the damn pen," I grumbled while attempting to shove a 530-kilogram horse through the front door of the barn house. The behemoth was not making this easy for me. Looks like I wont be able to shower before heading off to reapings. Figured waking up a couple of hours earlier than normal would be enough to get all my chores done and be off on my merry way, but noooooo, that's just asking for too much. After I get this big guy where he needs to be I have to run over to the chicken coop and feed the damn things. Pa says all this hard work is supposed to build character, I think that's just an excuse he uses so he can sleep in every day. It's not that the work is overwhelming or anything, it's just I seriously hate animals. The reason why is that no matter what I do they always seem to hate me first. You'd think they'd eventually comprehend the idea that you shouldn't bite the hand that feeds you but they don't. Whether it's washing, cleaning, or just moving the farm animals they always fight me every step of the way. The latest example would be right now. Brady here is a Capital trotter about to turn 14, hes been around pretty much my entire life. Pa gave him to me when I turned eight I was so ecstatic at the time. Finally had a chance to own my own horse, feed him, care for him, love him. I did everything pa told me to do for him, still do, yet he has it out for me. On several occasions Brady has almost gotten me killed. When I was ten he bucked me in the face knocking me unconscious. Now I've got a lot of fuzzy memories and a crooked nose. It's not too noticeable but it sure as hell puts a dent in my self esteem.

"And that's all thanks to you buddy," I said to Brady as I gave him one final shove. He wouldn't budge, not even a bit. I really didn't have the time for this.

"Alright if you really don't wanna move, then stay here. That's an order," I begin to jog in the direction of the chicken coop as I give my parting words to Brady. The farm is fenced off so even if he does move around he wont get too far. Hopefully...

My visit to the coop was short and sweet. Fed them, got pecked by a hen, and got out. Just gotta change into something decent looking and I can head off to face fate. If you disregard the various animals its just Pa and me living on the farm, and the farm pretty much sustains itself. Pa is always telling me that we are able to live off of the fat of the land. Luckily for me this means I've never had to take out tesserae so my name's only in there four times this year. Man, if I was reaped I'd be screwed. Im pretty scrawny, don't have many skills, and im definitely not a looker. I don a mop of unkempt brown hair, a crooked nose, some generic looking brown eyes, and im slightly below average height. That means no decent alliance, no advantage going in, and no sponsors. That right there is the perfect formula for a bloodbath tribute.

I enter the house, head up to my room, quickly throw own my reaping clothes, and run right back out. Pa's probably already at town square seeing that he wasn't passed out on the coach. If I really leg it I should be there in time to sign up and get to my section. Hopefully I'll be able to find Leo in the swarm of 15 year olds. Since I don't go to school I don't really know many of the other kids around D 10. Any visitors we get at the farm usually show up to do business with Pa. Leo's father is a butcher or something so he drops by often. Like me, Leo lost his mother and has no other siblings so whenever his father restocks on supplies he brings his son. First time seeing him was when I was nine or ten, don't really remember it to well. Pa told me to show him around the farm while the adults spoke. The entire time Leo was explaining to me how to properly prepare each animal I showed him. It was kinda creepy but I appreciated the company. Afterwards he started telling me a bunch of stories about school. The way he described it made me glad I never had to attend. Seems like a hassle. Im not the sharpest tool in the shed but I hardly think im stupid. You'd be surprised the things you learn working on a farm. It is at this point I finally found Leo. He had been talking with some other kids I didn't know too well. Only time I've seen em has been at previous Reapings. I approached the group and gave my greetings.

"Howdy," I said to the three kids before me while focusing my gaze at Leo since he was most familiar.

"Took ya long enough to show, Jared here thought you'd forgotten the occasion or something," Leo said to me while motioning towards the tall kid with pale skin, freckles, and bright red hair.

"No way in hell I'd forget this, don't want to have the Peacekeepers on my ass," I responded snorting "Just had a hard time dealing with Brady again,"I finished.

"For someone who spends all his time around animals, you sure do suck with em," Leo said.  
"Hey, by any chance have you ever eaten horse meat?" he asked

"We've been over this im not gonna let you chop Brady up," I said as I glared at him. Leo has been pushing to buy Brady for the past couple of years. At first I thought he was joking but now im not so sure.

"You'll change your mind eventually, and when you do we'll have a feast fit for Kings," He said while looking up at the sky imagining the meal. I was about to draw him back to reality but a shrill voice beat me to it.

"Hello District 10! So glad to be back, have you missed me?" said Arturo Fleck our District's escort for the passed three years. He was a skinny tanned man with long bleached hair riddled with pink highlights. First time I saw him I thought he was just some unflattering woman. The guy gives me the creeps. Who would do that to themselves?

"Anyways I'm sooooooo excited for this year's Games so lets get this show on the role! As always we'll be gentlemen and start with the ladies," Arturo exclaimed to the crowd. The thing I hated most about this man was that he was always screaming. Glad I only had to deal with him once a year, don't know if I could take much more of him. He made his way to the girl's bowl and began raffling through it.

"And our first tribute is... Shizu Tanaka!" the flamboyant man shouted.

Shizu Tanaka 18

Let it be known that at that very moment my life ended. My hopes, my dreams, my whole being. No words could express the dread that filled my once hopeful heart. Everything I was shattered right before me. The sad part was that I had no say in the matter. I began walking without realizing it. Walking towards the noose that would soon be wrung around my neck. It wasn't voluntary, my body just went through the motions. Each step harder to take than the last. As I stepped onto the stage and faced the escort, whatever his name was, I noticed that tears had been streaming down my face. I wasn't sniffling or hyperventilating in fact other than the liquids that protruded from my eyes my exterior seemed quite calm and collected. I was dead inside. Reduced to a walking husk.

"Aww deary, no need to cry. You'll have the time of your life and be back home before you even know it, I have no doubt about that one," the escort stated speaking to me but facing the audience and cameras. I just stared at him blankly taking note of the stupid bright pink highlights that coursed through his long auburn hair. The audacity of this man to tell a lie like that on national television. He had a fake grin plastered on his face the entire time I stared at him. After a brief moment he took the hint that I wasn't one for conversation.

"Do we have any volunteers?" another moment of silence followed.

"Alrighty then, lets move onto our male tribute!" the very feminine male escort exclaimed. He reached his hand into the bowl and began scrambling through the papers. I just stood there and silently watched as he sentenced another boy from the District to death. There was no way either one of us was coming out of this alive, that much I knew. The escort finally settled on a slip pulled it out and pursed his lips.

"Wesley Leitch come on up!" the escort shouted. I didn't turn to look at who would be my company for the next few days. I didn't care, no I couldn't care. Even when I tried to well up some emotions I just couldn't, they were out of my reach. The boy finally stepped onto the stage and stood opposite of me. I've never seen him around before, or maybe I have but haven't taken notice of him. He seemed unremarkable in every way. He looked much younger than I, maybe it was his height since he only came up to my shoulders. He looked very confused. He tried to give me a fake smile and extended his hand. I didn't follow up so his arm just dangled there awkwardly for a moment. His smile faltered as he lowered his hand back to his side. Another wave of confusion flushed across his face. If my mind was intact, I would have shaken his hand, it would be the polite thing to do. I just couldn't muster up enough energy to do anything but stare blankly and imagine every possible gruesome death I could possibly face during the week to come. Decapitated here, burned alive there, nothing was blissfully painless though.

"Any volunteers? No? Well then, there you have it! This years tributes representing District 10!" the escort tried to sound enthusiastic but the disappointment in his voice was obvious. Guess he didn't think too highly of the tributes this year. I don't blame him. This boy and I are going to be dead by day one.

At some point the boy and I were ushered into the justice building by peacekeepers and sent away to our respective rooms. I only realized this when I heard a loud creaking sound resonate throughout the room, it was my mother standing by the entrance. She looked absolutely horrid. Her once lustrous black hair was disheveled, her eyes that once gleamed brilliantly were puffy and red, her glorious smile that had captivated the hearts of many was no where to be seen in it's place lay a grim frown that struck my very core, her skin once so vibrant was now paler than the moon itself, her face once so young was riddled with wrinkles and defiled by worry. She entered the room and slowly closed the door behind her. I stared at the broken women before me whom I held so dear to my heart, she could not do the same. Her eyes lay fixed on the ground below even as she approached me.

"My baby... How could they take my baby?" she asked aloud her voice hushed and defeated by the sorrow that plagued her heart. "Why would they..." she continued. They do so for their own amusement, but I could not bring myself to speak the depressing truth. This though was not due to my state of mind but the state of my body. Since birth I have been cursed with the inability to vocalize a single syllable. Severe deformities in my vocal cords robbed me of the ability to speak, condemned me to a life where I was ostracized by my peers. I stepped over to the one person in my life who never abandoned me and wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her close. Though my fate has been determined, I could at least cherish the little time I had left on this world. She slowly returned my hug. We stood there for what seemed like an eternity. This was still not enough, I wanted more time to be here with her, to feel safe, to feel loved. Our embrace was abruptly ended when a peacekeeper barged in and tore her away from me. The last thing I saw of my mother was her frantically sobbing into the back of a burly peacekeeper who without a care in the world whisked her away from the thing she held dearest.

For the first time in my life I was completely alone. Throughout my life I have been shunned, bullied, and beaten for a matter I had no control over. Kids would call me an Avox and treat me as such. Because I was different from the rest I was a target. Though on the inside my inner voice raged with protest, not a single sound ever escape my lips. Though I dealt with these kinds of hardships on a daily basis, I have never felt alone. After a long day of torment I would return home and fall into the arms of my mother. She would comfort me and take care of my injuries. She opened up a whole new world to me that I could enter in the confines of my home. She taught me how to read music and play the violin. Her pieces were spectacular, so Devine. I spent countless hours practicing just to obtain a fraction of her magnificence. All that practice would amount to nothing because no matter how hard I worked I could never be like her. She had a natural grace about her that I could never mimic. The passion she poured into her music was immeasurable and it's intensity often brought me to tears. All of my worries would melt away the second she put her bow to her string. Now however, she was gone. I will never be able to bless my ears with the gift of listening to her play, I will never be able to hold another violin and pour my soul into attempting to be more like my mother, I will never be able to feel happiness, though my heart still continued to beat I was already as good as dead. I mouthed the words "mom" but no sound broke the deathly silence that engulfed my surroundings. The lack of sound was unsettling. It was driving me insane.

Why was everything so hopeless? Why was I never given a chance to shine? What did I ever do to deserve any of this? After years and years of enduring my light is about to be stomped out. Had I been given the chance I would have illuminated the dark abyss that was my life, had I been given the chance I would have lit the path to a brighter future, had I been given the chance I would have found happiness and died without regret. But that chance was never presented to me at it never will. The opportunity for that chance to appear before my hands for the taking has passed. This much I know is certain. I keep telling myself that I am already dead, but somewhere deep inside I resist. That light still wishes to shine. That light wants to continue to fight against the darkness. My mind wishes to blow out the light and end this whole ordeal but it just wont give in to reason. I can't win these Games but that light continues to rage on. Just like the light I want to live on. I wish to keep on enduring until I can find my own happiness. If that happiness cannot be found, I wish to create it myself. But wishes will only go so far. If I truly desire happiness im going to have to work for it. As long as that light remains, I shall persevere. Let it be known at that moment my life began. My hopes, my dreams, my whole being. No words could express the resolve that filled my once dreadful heart


End file.
